What would a Doctor actually say....

[Mommy2Teagan]

if they were very pro-vax but then their patient got damaged by a vaccine. I've been going over the senario in my head and cannot possibly imagine what a Doctor would say to the parents of the child. Simply say "Well....these things happen"? And I wonder how many Doctors think about the patient after it happens. The parent of course thinks about it everyday for the rest of their lives, but what about the Doctor? Do you think that they lose sleep over it? Change their opinions?

[Deborah]

What they mostly seem to say is: "It wasn't the vaccine."

[shuttlt]

I don't know. Doctors do have to cope with side effects from medicines and negative outcomes from procedures. In that respect it's just part of the job that they have to deal with. If a doctor can't cope with the possibility that they might inadvertently cause harm to come to some of their patients, I don't think they'd last very long. It's probably not the part of the job that gets them out of bed in the morning though.

[mommyto3girls]

My kid's ped does recommend vaxing according to the CDC guidelines, however, he has many non-vaxing or selective vaxing patients and I have never been given a hard time about it.

He did ask me to fill out a waiver that said he recommended vaxing and that based on my own research I have chosen not to vaccinate my kids. I know some people think that we should not sign the waiver, but to me it is no different than when I file the exemption form for school.

Anyway, when he asked me to fill out the waiver I asked him if I decided to let him vax the kids would he sign a waiver taking responsibility for any reactions they might have. His response "No Way!" He said that he follows the CDC and AAP guidelines (as far as offering the vax's at the times on the CDC sheet) because he has to, but that the actual decision to vaccinate needs to be the parents' decision.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Deborah

What they mostly seem to say is: "It wasn't the vaccine."

:

-Angela

[tmaue]

Most of the cases I have ever heard say that it is absolutely not the vax. There are many doctors out there who claim to have never seen a vax reaction in the whole time they have practiced. In my opinion, statistically, wouldn't they have seen some reaction?

[ema-adama]

Originally Posted by mommyto3girls

Anyway, when he asked me to fill out the waiver I asked him if I decided to let him vax the kids would he sign a waiver taking responsibility for any reactions they might have. His response "No Way!" He said that he follows the CDC and AAP guidelines (as far as offering the vax's at the times on the CDC sheet) because he has to, but that the actual decision to vaccinate needs to be the parents' decision.

Your doc sounds very cool. I think it is a good idea to help remind them just who is taking responsibility for the child/baby's health.

[Turquesa]

I've heard it dismissed as "an unfortunate correlation."

[Gitti]

Most doctors would simply deny that it had anything to do with the vaccine. They have to be so indoctrinated that they can not see the damage that vaccines do. Most vaccinate their own kids. That shows me that they believe in the big pharma religion and do not question. They are brain washed!!!

[emma1325]

It depends on the doctor. Most, I think, are so pro-vaccine that they are in denial that they can cause harm. And why would they admit fault? They are trained to never admit fault, and they are trained to protect the vaccine program.

One of Emma's peds (Dr. Maghee in Ruston) told me that Emma "probably" experienced a neurological reaction to vaccines, and that I shouldn't do any more shots if I didn't feel comfortable, because he couldn't guarantee me that she wouldn't have another reaction.

I think that his response to this situation is one of the best responses that can be expected from a mainstream ped.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by Mommy2Teagan

if they were very pro-vax but then their patient got damaged by a vaccine. I've been going over the senario in my head and cannot possibly imagine what a Doctor would say to the parents of the child. Simply say "Well....these things happen"? And I wonder how many Doctors think about the patient after it happens. The parent of course thinks about it everyday for the rest of their lives, but what about the Doctor? Do you think that they lose sleep over it? Change their opinions?

Mine said it wasn't the vaccines. The grand mals, screeching and loss of milestones (e.g. talking and walking) were coincidence.

Then of course you have to clean up the mess. Hence why I have no med records from birth to when we moved and got a new ped.

Seriously, do you think they'd just put their hands up and say, "Oops, you figured it out! Those darn vaxes!"

[user_name]

i don't know...i tried calling the ped about a reaction my son had & no one would even let me talk to the doc once they found out i was one of those pesky "first-time moms."

[Rosehip]

Originally Posted by Mommy2Teagan

And I wonder how many Doctors think about the patient after it happens. The parent of course thinks about it everyday for the rest of their lives, but what about the Doctor? Do you think that they lose sleep over it? Change their opinions?

Yes. Doctors think about their patients. A lot. Sometimes they think about n individual patient for years or decades. Might they disagree with the cause of a problem? Yes. Might they be wrong? Yes. Do outcomes change doctors' opinions? Yes. Maybe not in the way one would like them to change, but of course patients, new information, and outcomes impact their opinions and practices.

I can think of a number of instances in which I've seen that happen.

[Tari Mithrandir]

As has been said, they generally blow it off as not related, coincidence, etc. My pedi refused to listen to me about DD's reactions and told me they can't cause the problems she has (when even the 'happy' sheet they gave me said those were risks). Those doctors that believe in vaccinating choose to put on blinders and usually fall into "they can do no harm".

[shuttlt]

Originally Posted by Tari Mithrandir

As has been said, they generally blow it off as not related, coincidence, etc. My pedi refused to listen to me about DD's reactions and told me they can't cause the problems she has (when even the 'happy' sheet they gave me said those were risks). Those doctors that believe in vaccinating choose to put on blinders and usually fall into "they can do no harm".

Given that the CDC, the FDA and the drug companies concede that vaccines are not risk free, anybody claiming otherwise would need to offer some exceptionally convincing arguments to the contrary.

Edit-->
In fact, I can't think of any medicines that are risk free. Doctors should be 100% comfortable with the possibility. Any doctor who says that there is NO risk is patting you on the head and giving you a sugar coated bullshit pill.

[shuttlt]

I was thinking about this while doing the washing up. Perhaps some of the time it is just doctors being crap and not wanting to deal with the fact that their actions caused harm.

[CanidFL]

Some of them probably recognize that bad reactions do happen and chalk it up to losing one child for the good of society. It's awful but I have heard this opinion before.

[an_domhan]

Originally Posted by Mommy2Teagan

if they were very pro-vax but then their patient got damaged by a vaccine. I've been going over the senario in my head and cannot possibly imagine what a Doctor would say to the parents of the child. Simply say "Well....these things happen"? And I wonder how many Doctors think about the patient after it happens. The parent of course thinks about it everyday for the rest of their lives, but what about the Doctor? Do you think that they lose sleep over it? Change their opinions?

I've lurked on a message board that is led by a pediatrician that swears she's never seen one. She always seems to say "why is it in my X amount of years as an attending and a clinician I've never seen a vaccine reaction?".

Those with a deep belief in vaccine policy will attribute reactions to any one of the thousands of diagnoses available... such is life.